Electrical-resistance alloy



Patented May 5, 1931 FFME WILIBUR-B. DRIVER, OF EAST ORANGE, AND STANLEY R. KEITH, E MONTCLAIB, NEW

JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 GILIBY WIRE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. A. COR- IPGRATION OF NEW JERSEY mECTRIGAL-RESISTANCE ALLUY No Drawing.

This invention relates to an alloy for electrical resistance materials.

Nickel-chromium is the alloy generally used for the making of electrical resistance wires. Since its introduction about twenty years ago there have been few commercial improvements.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an alloy having greater electrical resistance than a nickel-chromium alloy.

Another object is to provide a series of alloys having different electrical resistances which are higher than nickel-chromium. Still another object of the invention is to provide a series of alloys some of which can be worked cold and others hot. A still further object is to provide a series of high resistance alloys which are capable of use as electrical resistance materials. v

The commercial alloy of nickel and chromium almost always contains iron. We

found that an alloy of 65% nickel 15% chromium and the balance iron gives the highest electrical resistance.

The variation of the proportions of the alloy afl'ects the-electrical resistance as well as other properties. For instance:

7N1 7o 71* i iiiii 0 r o e o s o OMF 65 15' Balance. 675 60 15 Balance" 670 60 20 Balance" 650 30 20 Balance" 580 30 15 Balance-- 560 30 Balance 550 25 Balance" 625 15 Balance 485. 10 20 Balance.. 475 10 10 Balance- 445 Increasing the nickel and chromium to the exclusion o the iron lowers the resistance from 675 to 650 ohms. Likewise, if the percentage of nickel is lowered 5% from 65 to 50% and the chromium is raised 5% from 15% to 20% the resistance is lowered from 675 Application filed July 3, 1930. Serial No. 465,644. g

to 650 ohms CMF. The eflect of a small quantity of iron and the proper quantities of metal and chromium is to raise the resistance ohms CMF. We found that-if aluminum was added to a nickel-chromium iron base that with 2 or less that the resulting alloy is ductile and readily drawn and worked. That as the aluminum is increased the workability becomes more diflicult and that at 10% of aluminum; the alloy could not be readily Worked elther'fhot or cold. The addition of aluminum could be made to add 7 5 ohms CMF resistance which represents the maximum practical introduction of aluminum. I For instance Resistance N1 or %A1 Fe in ohms v CMF 10 1O 2% Balance 635 20 15 5 Balance; 655 60 15 5 Balancm- 740 73 15 10 Balance t'oo hard,

We found that if vanadium was added to a nickel, chromium, iron base, that a similar condition occurs, that is, that over 10% vanadium makes the product too hard to work. We further found that a lesser quantit of vanadium raises the resistance 115 o s EMF above the base. For 1nstance:

Resistance Ni Cr %Va Fe in ohms CMF 10 20 2% Balance 500 10 10 3% Balance" 550 15 2% Balance- 575 10 2% Balance 615 10 1 Balance 650 60 15 2% Balance" 144 15 2% Balance" 790 16 5 Balance 790 67 15 10 Balance" 810 32 15 2O Balance" too hard.

We found that if the same nickel, chromium, iron base was alloyed with aluminum and vanadium that not only was the electrical resistance increased over thatofeither alone with the base that'the electricalre sistance could be raised from 650 ohms QMFto over 1,000 ohms OMF. For instance:

-- Resistance %N! 93V: %A1 %Fe inohma 20 15 .2 Balance.. 640 60 2% 5 Balance" 950 72 15 2 6 Balance" 925 68 15 8% 5 Balenoe 1, 055 73 15 2 6 Balance.. 025 73 18 8% 5 Balance.. 1010 It should be noted that when the nickel is high and the iron content is low the cold working roperties increased and the electricalresistance is high and when the iron is high and the nickel content is low the hot working properties increased and the electrical resistance is high. Therefore, a high electrical resistance alloy of over 1,000 ohms CMF can be made which will have either I hot or cold working properties as desired and which will contain the same elements but in different proportions. An alloy of nickel, chromium, vanadium, aluminum and iron has a higher electrical resistance if made in the proper proportions than an alloy of the base (Ni, Cr and Fe) or the base and either aluminum or vanadium.

It will thus be seen that we have invented a series of alloys whereby a high electrical resistance material can be made and worked either hot or cold and which will have higher electrical resistances than can be obtained by the use of the nickel chromium base either alone or in combination with either of them.

What we claim is:

An electrical resistance alloy comprising aluminum 5%, vanadium between 2 and 3 72,, chromium 15%, nickel between 60 and and the balance iron.

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 11th day of June, A. D. 1930.

WILBUR B. DRIVER. STANLEY R. IGEITH. 

